Weekly Inspirations: December 18th, 2015

With the holidays coming up it has been a slow period for great new articles but have found a few so here are the things that I think are worth reading and checking out this week:

These Socks Will Actually Pause Netflix If You Fall Asleep

Designed to pause the streaming service if you happen to fall asleep during a Jessica Jones marathon, Netflix announced a new do-it-yourself project called the Netflix Socks. Utilizing technology like an accelerometer and a microcontroller, the socks will actually detect when the user stops moving. When that happens, the socks will fire off a pause signal to halt the progress of the current television show or movie streaming on Netflix. They posted details of the DIY project at as well as a variety of sock templates modeled after original Netflix shows such as The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Daredevil, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Jessica Jones. It’s possible more sock templates will be released as more original programming appears on the streaming service.Read the article here.

Sketch Keyboard Shortcuts and Tricks

Keyboard shortcuts play a major part in Sketch to boost your productivity while designing. You can save a few seconds per action, which really adds up as you perform them hundreds of times per day. Here are all the 80+ Keyboard Shortcuts, excluding the contextual shortcuts such as those in the Inspector and Layers List.Read the article here.

Use iPad keyboard shortcuts in iOS 9 and work more efficiently (Cheat Sheet)

You can save a ton of time on all iOS 9 iPads connected to external keyboards over Bluetooth, Lightning, or the Smart Connector. This works in most of Apple’s built-in apps and plenty of popular third-party apps as well, but it can be monotonous prompting that sheet in each app to get a sense of what keyboard shortcuts work. Instead, this article has compiled a cheat sheet of which keyboard shortcuts work in all the system apps and several popular third-party apps.Read the article here.

Creative Listening by IDEO

Creative listening is a mindset born out of our own experience with how hard listening has become. Based on the methods IDEO uses to solve the world’s stickiest design challenges, Creative Listening is a process of tuning in, listening, and reflecting that helps you get more out of what you hear. This site gives you access to the knowledge and worksheets behind creative listening so you can use it for yourself.Read the article here.

Here are the things that I think are worth reading and checking out this week: How to Become More Self-Aware Alan Mulally,...

Stephen GatesNovember 17, 2017

Creative Director, Designer, Brand Builder, Speaker, Podcaster, Crazy One.
As a designer, I have 20+ years experience creating the strategy, concepts, and designs for award-winning integrated global advertising campaigns, building multiple global Fortune 500 brands and creating innovative digital experiences. As a leader, I have 15+ years transforming agency and client-side teams using a mix of creativity, business strategy, process and political skill to create innovative, world-class work and cultures that change industries and companies. My clients have included American Airlines, W Hotels, Disney, Citi, ExxonMobil, Acura, Old Navy, Nationwide Insurance, Verizon, Subaru and many others. My work has received over 150 international awards, my app designs have been named as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Apps, Apple has featured my work in 9 keynotes, 4 TV commercials and more.